This 1995 WACO YMF-5 Is a Not-So-Old ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Demand for classic biplanes and the popularity of vintage fly-in events keep this manufacturer busy.

1995 Waco YMF-5 [Courtesy: Alex Skiba]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

WACO YMF-5s might turn up at your local airport fairly often, or at least more often than you might expect for a 1930s biplane. That might be because they are still in production and not quite as rare as many of their golden age contemporaries.

Nostalgia helped drive the airplane’s return to production in 1986, with certain modifications to help it fit in with the rest of the modern fleet. It is still essentially an antique, though, with the open cockpits, flying wires, and radial engine that made the originals so appealing.

WACO was a prolific manufacturer during the 1930s, turning out a wide range of cabin and open-cockpit models with “alphabet soup” nomenclature that can be difficult to keep in order. Of all the models, though, the YMF is an especially attractive design that many regard as the epitome of a classic biplane. It is difficult to find an aircraft with more graceful lines or sweeter flying characteristics and easy to see why this model was chosen to carry the brand forward.

This 1995 WACO has 248 hours on the airframe and on its 275 hp Jacobs R755 B2 7-cylinder radial engine since new. The VFR panel includes a Garmin GNS 530 GPS/Nav/Comm, GNS 430 GPS/Nav/Comm, GTX 330 transponder, and  Bendix King KA 134 TSO.

Pilots who want to turn back the clock all the way to aviation’s golden age of fabric-covered biplanes with “round” engines should consider this new-old WACO YMF-5, which is available for $205,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you're interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

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